When to Take Down Your Christmas Tree

Putting the tree up is the good bit. Taking it down is not.

There is more tradition behind the date than most people realise, and a fair amount of superstition. Here is when to take your Christmas tree down, and why.

Twelfth Night

The traditional answer, and the one most of Britain follows.

The twelve days of Christmas begin on Christmas Day itself, not before it, and run to around 5 January. Twelfth Night is the end of them.

The superstition is old and it is firm. Leave your decorations up beyond Twelfth Night and you invite bad luck for the year. Nobody can tell you why, and plenty of people still take the tree down on 5 January because of it.

It is worth remembering that when Christmas trees first caught on, people did not put them up until Christmas Eve. A tree that went up on 24 December and came down on 5 January stood for twelve days. Ours now stand for six weeks, which is a modern invention.

Two weeks after Christmas

A softer version of the same idea. The decorations go away once a fortnight has passed since the 25th.

That puts you in mid January, which is a natural point to clear the house and get on with the year. It carries no superstition with it, which suits people who would rather not think about luck.

When the tree tells you

The practical answer, and the honest one.

A well kept real tree lasts a long time. A watered Nordmann Fir will hold four to five weeks. A Norway Spruce will do about three.

When it starts to dry and drop, it is done. It will not recover, and there is no point looking at a bare tree in a corner.

There is a safety point here too, and it is not scaremongering. A dried-out conifer covered in lights is a genuine fire risk. If your tree is brittle and shedding, take it down.

Keeping it watered is what buys you the time. See our guide to keeping your tree fresh.

What to do with it

Do not put it in a skip. A real tree is compostable.

Most councils collect real Christmas trees in January and chip them for mulch, and in most areas it is free. Check your council first.

Hospice charities across the country also collect trees for a donation. Your tree gets recycled, a hospice gets funded, and you do not have to move it.

You can also add our collection service to your order. Full detail in our Christmas tree recycling guide.

A pot grown tree goes back outside instead, in stages, so the cold does not shock it. See the pot grown tree care guide.

So when should you take it down?

Twelfth Night, if you care about the tradition. Mid January, if you care about the tidying. Or the day it starts dropping, if you care about the tree.

All three are defensible. Pick one and do not feel bad about it.

Read our guide on when to put your tree up, or the complete guide to real Christmas trees.